Domtar is taking the lead in educating the next generation of paper industry professionals about our supply chain, paper production, sustainably forestry initiatives and more.
Our mill in Kingsport, Tennessee, recently hosted a networking and educational event for sales and marketing professionals from several of our merchant partners. The participants, who are relatively new to the paper industry, came away from the event with a better understanding of how we source trees, make paper and follow sustainable practices.
The event included industry and company overviews, a tour of the Kingsport Mill, a meeting with mill leaders, a visit to the Ridgefields converting facility and presentations from various Domtar professionals, including those in sustainability and marketing.
Event Put a Spotlight on Paper Production
Jessie Bohling, national account manager from WCP Solutions in Kent, Washington, was impressed by what she learned.
“The whole program was definitely time well spent for me,” says Bohling. “It was really interesting to see how quickly a log from the sawmill can be made into a ream of paper. My biggest takeaway from the tour was seeing how finely tuned the whole process is from start to finish, and how nothing is wasted. I was also pleased to see Domtar’s sustainability principles in action and how they take their forestry initiatives seriously.”
Bohling enjoyed the tour’s hands-on approach, especially when it came to paper production.
“Our tour guide showed us how each ream of paper gets assigned a code for tracking purposes,” she says. “It’s crazy to think how something as common as copy paper can be traced all the way back to that mill and a specific batch of wood chips. To have this tangible touch and feel to the product really is valuable to someone like me. It gave me much more of an understanding about what I sell every day and allowed me to get much closer to the product than ever before.”
John Parke, Domtar customer marketing manager, says an event like this provides an up-close look at paper production and helps prepare new professionals for success.
“It shows our customers that the paper business is still strong,” he says. “We were proud to highlight the impressive people we have working at our sites and the great machines that crank out quality product every day.”
At Domtar, we take pride in the value and quality we provide to our merchant partners. Through educational opportunities like this, we can better connect with our merchant partners and share more about our company, products and people.
“These types of events really help strengthen the relationships we have with our business partners and help them better understand who Domtar is,” says Parke. “Our partners have choices when it comes to who they do business with, and we hope that by learning more about who we are, they will continue to choose Domtar time and time again.”
Learn more about paper production at Domtar:
- Using Every Part of the Tree is a Responsible Forestry Practice
- Paper Making 101: Inside Our Paper-Making Process
- Paper Making 101: Paper Converting and Shipping
